By Defend Democracy Press
Outspoken Lula Stands Ground, Asserts Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza
24 Feb 2024 – Brazil’s president repeats his recent assertion that the Israeli regime is committing genocide in Gaza, braving the repercussions that have come to affect his country’s ties with the Israeli regime and its main ally, the US.
“What…Israel is doing is not a war, it is genocide, because it is killing women and children,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at an event in Rio de Janeiro yesterday.
“It is a genocide. Thousands of children are dead and thousands are missing. Soldiers are not dying. Women and children are dying at the hospital,” he said. “If that’s not genocide, I don’t know what genocide is,” he exclaimed.
“I do not exchange my dignity for falsehood,” said Lula, who once again spoke in favor of the creation of a “free and sovereign” Palestinian state.
No earlier than on Sunday, Lula had unequivocally lambasted the Israeli regime’s savagery in its October-present military aggression against the coastal territory, which has so far killed more than 29,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
By raising his voice against Israel, Lula places Brazil at the forefront of movement that opposes massacres in Gaza
By raising his tone, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva puts Brazil in the leading role of the movement that opposes Israel’s actions against Palestinians. That’s the opinion of experts heard by Brasil de Fato about the political scenario and diplomatic clash between Brazil and Israel. They say Brazil’s stance may resonate among global South nations and encourage other countries to take a stance on the current war in the Middle East.
“At this moment, it’s possible that Lula will lead the movement with South Africa and other countries that have suspended diplomatic relations with Israel. This could be seen as a sign that Israel is losing support for its crime against humanity,” says historian Arlene Clemesha, director of the Center for Arab Studies at the University of São Paulo (USP, in Portuguese).
“Lula took a political position when he called the events in Gaza a genocide. For a long time now, accusations against Israel have been accumulating, and this is becoming normal. Lula raised his tone to call people’s attention, and [he] is in a very favorable context,” says Reginaldo Nasser, a professor of Foreign Affairs at the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP, in Portuguese). The Brazilian president made the statement during the 37th African Union Summit.
26 February 2024
Source: transcend.org